Dowagiac neighborhood cries fowl over proposed chicken farm

People in a Dowagiac neighborhood town hall meeting say a proposed, nearby chicken farm isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The plan calls for 45 thousand egg-laying chickens to be housed in four barns on Bakeman Road south of M-152. There will also be two manure storage units. Residents are concerned about the smell, possible well water contamination and noise. However, the Silver Creek Township Board says there’s nothing it can do to stop the farm. That’s because of Michigan’s Right to Farm act. The owner of the farm says the chickens will be on concrete topped with sawdust which will limit smell and possibility of groundwater contamination. Construction on the chicken farm could begin this summer, if it’s approved by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.